Lion dance is the mane event at Ventura festival

Members of the crowd react the lion dance Saturday in Ventura. The Camarillo Kung Fu and Lion Dance Association performed the dance during the Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival at the Museum of Ventura County.

Ventura County Star

Members of the Camarillo Kung Fu and Lion Dance Association performed a traditional Chinese lion dance, complete with cymbals, drums and gongs, to open the county's first Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival on Saturday afternoon at the Museum of Ventura County.

Starting from Figueroa Street, the site of Ventura's original Chinatown, the troupe danced across Mission Park, entering the front plaza of the museum, where crowds of festival participants waited.

The lion dance, according to Kee Ling, an instructor with the Camarillo Kung Fu and Lion Dance Association for more than 30 years, is based on an ancient Chinese fable. In today's Chinese culture, the lion dance signifies good luck and success.

"We use the lion dance for weddings, business grand openings, basically anytime you want to bring in good wishes, good luck and chase away the evil spirits or bad things," Ling said.

Michael and Mindy Leung, of Ventura, brought their children, Kate, 9, and Scott, 8, to the festival as a fun and educational family outing.

Michael Leung said he knew a bit about the role Chinese immigrants played in the area's development, thanks to a plaque at Ventura's City Hall.

"I was surprised to learn that Ventura had its own Chinatown, though," he said.

The festival coincides with the museum's "Hidden Voices: The Chinese of Ventura County" exhibit, which focuses on the role Chinese immigrants played in the development of Ventura. The exhibit runs through Nov. 25.

"It started with the wonderful idea of bringing what was kind of well-known secret to the surface, so people could understand the contributions of the Chinese to Ventura County," said Robin Woodworth, interim executive director of the museum. "There were so many things we wanted to include, we decided a cultural festival might be the way to go."

Ventura County Chinese American Association President Dr. George Yu sees the festival and exhibit ways to educate the public about the important role played by Chinese immigrants in developing Ventura and the local agricultural industry.

"This is a good beginning for the county at large to get to know the 150 years of Chinese immigrants' stories more intimately," Yu said.

Several local artists were on hand to demonstrate traditional Chinese arts.

Born in Beijing, biotech engineer BiJian Fan, of Camarillo, spends his evenings creating kinetic sculptures. He learned paper-folding techniques from his grandmother and now applies those skills to creating sculptures in metal and other materials. Several of his dragon sculptures, each containing a hidden message, are on display at the museum.

"Because I was an immigrant, I struggled in finding my voice when I came to the United States, and not just because of the language," Fan said. "I found the visual arts transcend cultural barriers and helped me to communicate with the public."

Hong Kong native Christine Leong, an artist who has lived in Camarillo since 2002, demonstrated Chinese watercolor techniques by painting a traditional Chinese dragon on a silk cushion.

"This is the Year of the Dragon, which represents power in Chinese culture," Leong said. "In ancient China, only the emperor could have a dragon symbol on his clothes."